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A Failipino Comment That Shows How NOT To Market the Philippines!

Although it's not a very new incident anymore, but I still want to think about how NOT to promote tourism in the Philippines. An incident in Singapore happened a few weeks ago. It was a Vietnamese guy that got conned by a Singaporean tourist shop (Read here).

Here's a Failipino comment that's worth a thousand facepalms from the same article I just shared:

It's pure harassment, swindling, robbery, holdup, to a foreign tourist who came from a 3rd world country. Do you think they will do that to a foreigner who came from a developed country. Is this a normal practice in Singapore that they don't explain 1st to the customer the way the warranty should be charged. I said harassment because they threatened the customer that they will not give $600 refund if he call the police. In UNITED KINGDOM, warranty is optional but they charged it 10% of the selling price good for 1 year.

I thought Singapore POLICE is very tough when it comes to customer complain much more Mr Banh is a foreign tourist? Mr Banh the next time you spend your vacation come to the Philippines..... It's more FUN IN THE PHILIPPINES.... Filipinos are hospitable, you will not be fooled in our country if you buy electronics gadgets....cheers....

Let's take a look at the comment. Now I appreciate the Failipino guy for raising up his concern that it's certainly not good for the tourist to be conned. However here's what was wrong with the comment. First, the commentator himself could be assuming that Singapore is a cheating country. Second, the commentator is also indirectly mocking the Singaporean police. But that's not just it and I will discuss the most facepalming part in the next paragraph.

Now we have the commentator inviting Mr. Banh to the Philippines. Now nothing is wrong with inviting him to the Philippines but he has attached a lot of lies to it. First, he tells Mr. Banh that it's more fun in the Philippines WITHOUT a good explanation why. Second, he already makes an assumption that Filipinos are all hospitable never mind the existence of the LEFTISTS, CRIMINALS and so on is very rampant in some areas of the Philippines. Third, he already lies that Mr. Banh will not be fooled in the Philippines.

The first lie that it's certainly more fun in the Philippines can be defeated when the truth comes out.

The slogan itself tries to promote the Philippines as a paradise as a whole. While it's marketing but what is really needed is to endorse what's good about the Philippines while disclosing which areas should they avoid. Come on, would you endorse places like Tondo or Basilan as tourist spots? Why doesn't the Department of Tourism just do multiple advertising for the best of the Philippines while warning tourists to avoid the worst of the Philippines? Trying to appear perfect and squeaky clean before people will only lead to bigger blunders in the long run.

The second lie that all Filipinos is hospitable is STUPID because there are inhospitable people in EVERY race.

The commentator may have purposely hid the truth that there are Filipinos who are Failipinos. The lie that all Filipinos are hospitable can be defeated by the existence of criminals, leftists and terrorists. What can the commentator EXPLAIN with all those anti-foreign Failipino groups like the Bayan Muna, Migrante International, Anak ng Bayan and the like? I don't know what he was thinking. There are hospitable Filipinos, no questions asked but there are also inhospitable Filipinos too. In fact, doesn't he know there are inhospitable people from EVERY RACE?!

The third lie is that you will not be fooled in the Philippines because CONNING HAPPENS ANYWHERE.

This is my final point for this entry. Cheating happens anywhere around the world no questions asked. Singaporeans helped Mr. Banh out of his predicament. It can happen in the Philippines. I've even heard of some places in Greenhills that CHEATS on people when buying gadgets. I have also been cheated out of a good deal in some areas of the Philippines. So really nobody gets cheated in the Philippines? If the Department of Tourism wants to be more inviting, they should also warn tourists about how not to get cheated. Getting cheated is definitely NOT more fun in the Philippines.